Optical Perfection
by Broken Angel01
Summary: It wasn't a big deal, not really, but Noctis was still determined to satisfy his curiosity.


Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XV or anything else from the Final Fantasy franchise.

 **A/N: Welcome to my second XV fic! This one is just more of a fun one that can take place any time between the fall of Insomnia but before they go to Altissia. There are references from the anime episode that features Prompto, so if you have not seen it I would suggest doing so. Not just because of my fic, but because it's just an awesome episode. Please do send me a review! Feedback always motivates me to write more of the stuff you guys love.  
**

Optical Perfection

The night air was cool, and relaxing in a folding chair by the fire, Noctis gazed casually into the burning embers glowing at the base of the wood they had gathered earlier, the warmth of the flames caressing his handsome face. Just out of range of the campfire's comforting glow, Gladio was doing his nightly round of one-handed push-ups, and off to the left of the bulky man known as the King's Shield, Ignis was slaving away over the portable grill, his glasses glinting in the flickering light of the burning coals. Judging by the tantalizing smell, the older man was making Meldacio Meat Pies, one of Prompto's favorites. Not that the prince was complaining, since most of the time he could tolerate his golden-haired friend's tastes in food.

Though to the others it might have appeared as if his gaze was focused solely on the flames, in actuality he wasn't really paying a whole lot of attention to the fire. Instead, his deep blue eyes were peering through the smoke at the real object that had caught his interest, who under the pretense of watching the flames was the main focus of his wayward thoughts.

Standing just out of range of the campfire's warm glow, his back turned towards the flames, Prompto's golden hair gleamed in the darkness, making it relatively easy to distinguish the young man's slim form from the black scenery rising out of the gloom in the distance. Despite his 'drab' clothing, as he was known to call it, Prompto's pale skin and clear blue eyes brightened the supposedly dull Crownsguard uniform he wore considerably, and his blond hair made him easily recognizable in a crowd.

Noctis contemplated whether or not to bring up the subject that was currently weighing on his mind as he scrutinized his friend's energetic profile, and unaware that he was being watched, Prompto lovingly tended to the camera in his hands in blissful ignorance while humming a catchy tune under his breath, the melody getting lost on the chilly breeze stirring the flames crackling at the centre of the campground. As far as Noctis could tell, it looked like the blond was cleaning his most prized possession and changing out the battery, which reminded him that he had not yet had a chance to view his friend's most recent photos.

It had become something of a routine for them to huddle around the camera close to the fire with Ignis and Gladio, the four of them admiring whatever shots Prompto had managed to capture during the course of the day, and often the images would earn the blond a lot of laughs, several groans, loads of compliments, and plenty of playful comments for his efforts. Since this nightly ritual had not yet had a chance to take place, he figured he could use the pretense of wanting to view the newest round of photos as an excuse to make his way around to the other side of the fire.

It was the perfect opening, except for one small problem. Somehow he was going to have to satisfy his curiosity before Ignis and Galdio decided to join them, since it was one of those things he'd rather mention without an audience.

It wasn't that what he wanted to ask was a big deal or anything like that. He just figured Prompto was more likely to answer without the other two hanging around, which had proven to be the case a few weeks ago after the two of them had shared a heart-to-heart on the rooftop of a cheap motel during a stop at one of the many outposts scattered around the Lucis kingdom. It was no secret the blond was still a little self-conscious about his past, and because of that the other man was easily embarrassed by any references to the unusual circumstances in which they had met.

 _Might as well get it over with now, since it looks like both Ignis and Gladio are still going to be a while._

With that thought in mind, Noctis slowly got up from his seat, and casually making his way around the fire, he came to a stop just behind his golden-haired friend, who hadn't yet noticed his presence. At that moment, Prompto suddenly bent forward to return something to his camera bag, and unable to let such a golden opportunity go to waste, Noctis playfully whacked the blond in the ass to get the other man's attention, earning himself a startled yelp as a reward for his efforts.

As Prompto stumbled forwards, his hands fumbling with the camera, Noctis caught the blond's arm to steady him and said dryly, "You're such an easy target."

"Cut it out, man!" Prompto shot back, giving him a playful shove. "You almost made me drop my camera."

Noctis swiped the camera from his friend's hands, and ignoring the blond's protests he proceeded to turn it on and flip through the newest photos, pausing for a moment on an image of the two of them napping next to each other with their chocobos in the early hours of the morning, both of them clearly fast asleep as the sun slowly rose above the mountains in the distance. "Relax, would you? The camera's fine. And besides, you would have saved it in the fall before face-planting on the ground anyways. Better to break your nose than your camera, am I right?"

Gladio must have gotten his hands on the camera before they had returned the chocobos to their owner and set off in the Regalia that morning, but he wasn't complaining. It was a good shot, and Noctis had to check himself before a gentle smile turned up the corners of his mouth. In the photo, Prompto had fallen against his shoulder as they slept with their backs resting against the feathery hides of their chocobos, the close contact between them emphasizing the contrast in their appearances as the morning sunlight glinted off their sleeping faces.

"Is that your way of saying you want to see my latest shots?" Prompto teased, though he looked pleased at the sudden attention both he and his camera were receiving.

"Maybe."

Prompto made a dramatic show of rubbing his sore left butt cheek, and leaning over his shoulder for a better look, the blond said, "Whatcha looking at?"

Noctis quickly flipped to another photo before the other man could work out what had caught his attention, and turning to face the blond, he said nonchalantly, "It's cold out here. You're gonna freeze your ass off working this far away from the fire."

"Really?" Prompto replied, looking a bit startled as he suddenly noticed the goosebumps breaking out on his finely shaped arms. "Oh, I hadn't even noticed."

Of course he hadn't noticed. As usual, the blond had been too caught up with his camera to pay attention to his surroundings, hence the blow to his backside that had nearly sent him sprawling on the rocks.

 _You really are a total nerd. Don't ever change, you dork._

Noctis shook his head in amusement, and holding the camera out of range as Prompto once again made a grab for it, he said, "You can have it back once we're closer to the fire. Maybe you hadn't noticed, but my fingers feel like they're gonna fall off."

"That'd probably make warp striking a bit difficult," Prompto agreed, earning himself a whack to the head. "Dude, ouch! Isn't their some kind of rule against the prince abusing his subjects?"

Noctis chose to ignore that comment, and grabbing his friend's arm he proceeded to drag the blond over to the campfire, earning himself an amused look from Ignis and a grunt of laughter from Gladio. Both men were also ignored, and refusing to acknowledge their presence he pulled Prompto down close beside him and handed back the camera, his dark blue eyes returning once more to the flickering flames.

"Check this one out," Prompto said eagerly, leaning towards him to show off a scenic photo taken from a vantage point that highlighted the Disk of Cauthess in the distance. "Did I get the perfect shot, or what?"

Noctis leaned a bit closer for a better view, and admiring the photo he had to admit it was a decent shot. The lighting was perfect, and it had that signature Argentum look to it, making it impossible not to guess right away who had taken the photo. "Can't get much more perfect than that."

"I know, right?" Prompto agreed, beaming at him before once again returning to his photos.

The light of the flames flickered off the blond's handsome face, making his pale skin glow with a rosy hue in the darkness, and the animated sparkle in his bright blue eyes lit up the happy smile turning up the corners of his mouth. The man's lithe form was practically bubbling over with enthusiasm and exuberance, and now that he was close to the fire, the goosebumps on his arms had disappeared.

Staring at his golden-haired friend, who sat on his right, Noctis was once again struck by the urge to ask the question that had been on his mind ever since that morning when he had paused to watch Ignis cleaning his spectacles before the four of them had set out to return their chocobos. It was just one of those things he hadn't much noticed before, a brief thought buried somewhere in the subconscious part of his mind, but for whatever reason on that particular morning watching Ignis perform such a simple, mundane task, which the older man executed on a regular basis, had sparked his interest. It wasn't anything important, not really, but now that the subject had been brought to his attention, he had a burning desire to put his curiosity to rest once and for all.

Prompto was a talented photographer and a skilled marksman, and logically speaking both of those callings required good eyesight. And yet, back when they were in elementary school, the blond had required the use of glasses to compensate for his lack of visual perfection. Then, when they got to highschool, the glasses had disappeared, and not once had he ever seen the blond wear them since.

 _I don't get it. If he isn't wearing his glasses anymore, how the hell does he get such great shots and pick his targets off so easily with amazing accuracy?_

No doubt there was a simple explanation for it, but he still wanted to know. And now seemed like as good a time as any to ask.

"Noct?"

Noctis blinked, and realizing he'd been staring at Prompto, who was starting to look a bit flustered, he shook his head and said, "Sorry, what?"

"Dude, you're spacing on me," Prompto complained, elbowing him in the ribs. "You totally missed my superb shot of Gladio tripping over a Flan. Look, his foot totally gets stuck it in and everything."

"Shut it," came the gruff reply from somewhere just outside the circle of light.

Realizing that both Gladio and Ignis were clearly eavesdropping on their conversation, Noctis quickly moved closer to his friend in an attempt to shut them out, his attention once again returning to the blond sitting next to him. The atmosphere between them was comfortable, and allowing himself a moment to huddle against the blond's warm shoulder, he pretended to focus on the image, though in reality he wasn't really seeing it.

Sensing his movement, Prompto glanced at him and said curiously, "Cold?"

"A bit."

"Wuss," the blond replied, mimicking Gladio's voice.

Noctis gave his energetic friend a rather affectionate shove, and glancing quickly in the direction of the other two, both of whom were otherwise occupied at the moment, at least on the surface, he proceeded to gaze intently at Prompto's handsome face before lowering his voice to a murmur. "How do you do it?"

"Huh? Do what?" Prompto asked, turning a bit red at his scrutinizing stare.

"That," Noctis replied, pointing at the camera and quickly summoning a gun into his hand. "And this."

Prompto frowned, and obviously confused, the blond said, "Sorry, dude. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Noctis allowed the gun to dissipate in his hand, and refusing to look away, he said, "How do you take such good photos and pick off your targets so easily without your glasses?"

Prompto immediately looked embarrassed, and scratching at the back of his head, the blond quickly looked away from him, obviously feeling self-conscious under his intense gaze. "Oh, those old things."

"You did wear glasses in elementary school, didn't you?"

"I thought you'd forgotten about that," Prompto laughed, attempting to shrug it off.

Despite his direct stare and how close they were sitting together, the blond didn't attempt to move away from him, and bumping his friend's shoulder, he said easily, "Whatever happened to them?"

"Contacts, bro," Prompto replied, pointing at his face. "Without them, I'd probably miss every shot."

Noctis draped his arms over his knees, and picking up a stick to poke at the fire, he said, "Thought it might be something like that. Never needed glasses myself, so I wouldn't know what that's like."

"It sucks, bro," Prompto laughed, making a face. "I still have a pair floating around somewhere for emergencies, but otherwise I never wear them."

"Why not?"

Prompto glanced at him in surprise, and fiddling nervously with his camera to keep his hands busy, the blond said, "Come on, dude. Isn't it obvious? I'm no Ignis. I can't pull off glasses the way he does."

Noctis raised his eyebrows, and pausing as a shower of sparks rose out of the flames, he said, "What? You mean the attractive nerd look?"

"Why thank you, Noct," a voice called from the shadows, the sound of their dinner sizzling on the grill. "Your compliment is duly noted."

Noctis summoned a chunk of burning wood from the fire, and hurtling it in the older man's direction it fizzled out in the grass outside the boundary of the campsite as Ignis nimbly avoided it.

"Watch it," Gladio warned, their antics having no effect whatsoever on his ability to keep count. "We don't want to start a fire."

"Do try not to destroy the campsite before dinner is served," Ignis said pleasantly, adjusting his glasses before once again returning to the grill.

Realizing it was hopeless to try and stop those two from listening in, Noctis turned back to his flustered companion and said, "They looked fine to me."

"No way, man," Prompto protested, ducking his head in embarrassment. "Can you imagine if I'd shown up at highschool wearing those things? The other kids would have eaten me alive. They made me look like such a dork."

"You are a dork," Noctis said dryly, earning himself a hearty smack on the thigh. "And with me there, the others would have left you alone."

"Seriously, bro. You're killing me here."

Noctis put a hand on his friend's shoulder, and waiting until he had the blond's attention, he lowered his voice and said calmly, "I am being serious. I thought they looked good on you."

"You mean it?" Prompto asked, sounding a bit uncertain.

Noctis nodded, and careful not to look at his friend, he said, "I bet they'd look even better on you now."

Prompto nearly dropped his camera in surprise, and face instantly turning a brilliant shade of red, the blond mumbled something incoherent under his breath that Noctis wasn't quite able to catch. While he couldn't see Gladio's face in the darkness, he was pretty sure the man was smirking between pushups at Prompto's expense, and always the gentleman, Ignis discreetly turned his face away in order not to intrude on the conversation.

 _Gimme a break._

Determined not to let either of the two men distract him, Noctis gently nudged his golden-haired friend's shoulder and said shortly, "You don't take compliments too well, do you."

"Yeah, well...you know," Prompto replied, laughing in embarrassment at his own expense. "Just...not used to it, I guess."

"Well, you better start getting used to it then."

There was a pause, and then slipping an arm around him, Prompto leaned in close to his ear and said softly, "Thanks, buddy."

They sat that way for a moment in silence, and feeling the comforting weight of his friend's toned arm resting across his shoulders, he closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment to take in the familiar sights and sounds of the night air. As the two of them huddled together in the light of the campfire, he felt Prompto shiver, and elbowing the blond in the ribs, he said, "Now who's cold."

"I've got you to warm me up," the blond teased, ducking to avoid another blow to his head. "Dude, chill. I've got more bruises from you than I do the daemons."

"Keep your mouth shut then."

Despite his complaints, Prompto moved closer, and settling once more against his shoulder, the blond said, "Probably a good thing I don't wear glasses anymore. You would have broken them by now."

Noctis once again rested his elbows on his knees, and folding his hands together, he shrugged and said, "I've never broken the ones Specs wears."

"Only because you're not as rough with him," Prompto shot back, giving him a fond shove. "And plus, if I don't wear them, then you can't call _me_ Specs."

"I've got plenty of other names to call you."

"Hey!"

Noctis laughed softly at the blond's indignant tone, and turning to gaze at his friend, he said, "I'm just surprised I never noticed."

"Noticed what?" Prompto asked, giving him a curious look.

"You, putting in your contacts. I've never seen you do it before."

Prompto hugged his camera tightly to his chest, and smiling slightly, the blond said, "Probably because you're always so late getting your lazy butt out of bed in the morning. I usually have them in before you're awake. And if I don't, it only takes a few seconds to pop them in. I've probably done it standing right next to you, and you just didn't notice cause your head was turned the other way."

Noctis couldn't really deny it, since he did love his sleep, and chances were the blond was right. He was so used to having Prompto around that daily habits like that went unnoticed, hence the reason he hadn't even thought of it until now. "Can I see them sometime? Your glasses, I mean."

"Huh? Why, bro?" Prompto asked, ducking his head to hide his long list of insecurities. "They're just glasses."

"Did you bring them with you?"

Prompto hesitated for a moment before saying, "They're somewhere in with all my other stuff. They're not the same ones, though, from elementary school. I've had a few pairs since then. These ones are definitely a lot more stylish than those old things."

Noctis couldn't help smiling to himself, and letting out a loud yawn, he stretched under the blond's arm and said bluntly, "Good, then you can show me sometime. I want to see them on you."

"B-but..."

"Humour me, would you?"

Prompto pulled his arm away, and clearly embarrassed, the blond glanced uncertainly at the dark forms of their two traveling companions, whom Noctis was sure were still eavesdropping in on their conversation. Prompto must have felt the same because the blond suddenly leaned towards him and whispered in his ear, "Only if those two aren't around, especially Gladio. I'll never live it down."

"Works for me," Noctis replied, shifting to replace the absence of the arm around his shoulders by wrapping his own around the blond's waist.

He felt Prompto relax against his side, the tension draining from the blond's slim figure, and holding out his camera, the young man said eagerly, "So, whatcha think, Noct? Which one's your favorite?"

It was a blatant attempt to change the subject, since the blond was obviously still flustered, but that was okay with Noctis. He'd gotten what he wanted, and taking the offered prized possession, he began to search through the photos one-handed, since his other arm was still draped around the blond's waist.

When he found the one he was looking for, he handed back the camera and said dismissively, "This one."

Prompto's blue eyes widened in shock as he stared at the photo, and as a soft gasp escaped the blond's lips, Noctis stood up and proceeded to make his way over to the portable grill to check the progress of their dinner, leaving his golden-haired friend to sit dumbly by the fire with his mouth hanging open.

The photo he had chosen was the one that showed the two of them napping with their chocobos while Gladio and Ignis had gone about packing up their gear in the early hours of the morning, surprisingly without waking them up and forcing them to help. Clearly, Prompto hadn't even realized the photo was on his camera until just now, which made the blond's reaction even more comical.

It was a great photo, and realizing Ignis was watching him with an amused smile, Noctis glared at the older man and said dangerously, "Not a word."

"I wasn't going to say a thing," was the dignified reply.

Which, of course, was answered by a loud snort from Gladio.


End file.
